And Then there were NO Lights!….

I thought maybe I had slept through Christmas, and it was all over, the lights were off and the gifts were no longer under the tree!!

Actually, what happened was………

It was like every other morning. The very first thing I do is open blinds, turn on the Christmas music, and then click on the tree lights.  We have one of those cords with the buttons you just step on, and the tree lights magically come on.



I stepped on it the lights flickered, I heard a psssp, crackle and a pop like a light bulb burst, then I smelled it, Oh my!!



After my hubby took all the gifts out from under the tree he discovered a fuse in the cord had burned up. It did its job by turning all lights off, but it also left a burned spot on my hardwood floor the size of a salad plate.

He proceeded to clean it off and as far as we can tell at this point it is just a little darkened. Whew!!!



Lessoned learned: We could not have prevented the fuse from going out, but it really made me realize why they always have the warning about not leaving tree unattended. There  have been many times that we leave them on when we leave, just so the house looks and feels happy when we return. I won’t be doing that anymore.



The lights are fixed and all is well with my Christmas world!! We are back on track!!



I will be busy cooking and dicing and chopping for tomorrows appetizers and dinner today. So I had better get going!!



Before I go I just wanted to share with you the dining room table make-over…….



We needed to add leaves in the table for Christmas Eve dinner so I used the same centerpiece, but it is reconfigured and has a new backdrop……..

 I loved using all white, but I must admit I think I actually like the black better. You know me and my black and white!!

I need to get off the computer and start my falalaing!!!

Kathysue is thoroughly,

Enjoying the Process

 and

I hope you all are too!!!

My Merry Christmas To All Of YOU!

It is almost here only three more days! When you really think about it, it is actually two more days until Christmas eve!! 

So much anticipation, and expectations evolve around this wonderful time of year. In fact so many, that we sometimes forget why we are celebrating.

I am very blessed to be able to spend time with my family all year long, but during the Holidays there is so much emphasis on on being together. Sometimes is not always possible for us all to be together.

I know there are many that won’t have there families around for the Holidays. I think it helps to not lose sight of what we are celebrating. The birth of Jesus Christ, and the precious gift of LOVE that God gave us on this very special day.

So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, or just the Holidays in general I think we all  have one thing in common, the celebration of LOVE of family and friends.

I thought I would show you where my family will be celebrating our time together on Christmas eve.

My 2011 Christmas Family Room

Before we take a look I need you to use your imagination.  Hear the soft Christmas music in the background? Smell the ham cooking, and the sweet smell of cookies, cider and hot chocolate? Okay! Now we are ready………

This is the place where we all hang out, watch TV, take naps on the sofa and just visit. It is a very cozy room for my family. Would you believe that mantel is 17 ft. long?! Whew! I am reminded of its length every time I decorate it!

See the green chair in the corner? This is everyone’s favorite place to cozy in. It is the type of chair that you start out sitting UP,  then you slowly find yourself descending downward into a comfortable almost reclining position!!

Also notice the little drummer boy pillow? I had to get him. Here is a close-up of his little profile….

I love silhouettes, but the main reason I purchased him is that his little profile looks almost identical to my middle son’s profile when he was a little boy. It had to be in my home this Christmas!!

Our tree is full of sweet memories…….

My youngest son’s very first pair of glasses. A sweet satin ball with his picture placed front and center adorned with beads and sequins that were placed by his little hands.

My youngest son’s first pair of shoes,  first ornament(dated 1977), and  his very first pair of glasses. 

My oldest son’s soccer buttons, and an ornament that was made out of a juice can top with red painted macaroni and glitter. It is crumbling, but it is still placed proudly on my tree.

A family picture of years gone by.

A sterling soldier that was my oldest son’s. When I gave him and his new wife his box of ornaments for their first tree, he handed the soldier back to me, and said, “ No, Mama this one belongs on the family tree!”

Yes, I cried because this was always his favorite ornament while he was growing up. The sweet face in the silver snow flake is his daughter. Believe me she is sweet beyond words.

In the far right is a picture of her Mommy and Daddy giving me the thumbs up for the gift I gave them that year.

A Styrofoam sequin gilded ornament made by my middle son. The other side shows a fish representing the symbol for Christianity. He knew even as a little boy how important Christ was in our home. 

There are pictures of him his very first year of Little League, a soccer button, and the little cherub with the kissable cheeks his youngest son. I think God gave him such kissable cheeks because he is a total love-bug, he gives the best hugs! The beautiful couple is his Mommy and Daddy!

My middle son gets rocking horses for his ornaments so I have this one on the tree representing his ornament. The cutie in the star is his oldest, and he is definitely a star in his Grammy’s heart……








Packages under the tree just waiting to be opened!







 

The packages will have been opened,

our tummies will be satisfied and our

hearts will be full.

I am wishing your :

Merry Christmas To YOU and yours!

Kathysue

A Little Christmas PEEK!

It is almost here!!! I am so excited!! I thought I would give you a look at what I have been up too. How about a peek at my Christmas words and wrapping!!

I love letters, words, numbers so when I was inspired  last year by Emily’s Christmas words I just knew I had to have them on my mantel.

I chose the words LOVE, WISH, and what is most important to me, FAMILY!!!

I also have smaller words, Joy, Peace, Believe, and Hope on my tree and scattered throughout the mantel garland.

I purchased this vintage trophy at the Alameda Antique Flea Market this fall. I have really enjoyed having it on my mantel this year. The touches of black just work well in my home, plus it adds just a touch more sparkle.

I used black letters on my white mantel, they showed up better than white words. I was surprised by that!! I added some glitter for my Christmas sparkle, and a little bling around the base of the words.

Here is a glimpse of one of the smaller words that I used.

I am like the rest of you and I am still busy baking, and wrapping gifts. 

This year I stored my wrapping paper in a French Market basket that I purchased the same day I bought the trophy in Alameda. 

I like to use my wrapping paper as part of the decorations by the tree. It is also handy to grab a roll to wrap a gift. Sometimes I have my rolls of ribbon in a pretty basket, but I ran out of room to display it  this year.

I love to mix patterns and textures in my wrapping paper. My colors are black and white with pops of red and lime green. My favorite paper is the iridescent snowflake pattern. I love the way it captures the lights.

This year I used a touch of the curly ribbon in a lime green with sparkles!! It is so fun!!! I also like the texture it adds to the packages.

This is my favorite wrapping paper and ribbon. I bought the ribbon from William Sonoma a few years ago. I had it personalized. I like the personal note for the recipient.

I still have a few packages to wrap and I am going to bake the apple cider caramel cookies today.

A very special friend is coming by for our annual Christmas cup of tea. I better scurry around here and get things wrapped up!!

I hope you are all having a wonderful Falala Day!!!

In my next post I will show the whole room and the tree so I hope you can come back!!!

Merry Christmas,

Kathysue